The Lagoon Is Open To Everyone, But Not Forever

Aquatic activities, sandy beaches and the crystal clear water of the Crystal Lagoons® amenity by Metro Lagoons at Epperson are available (at a discount) to the public for a limited time.

One of the most asked —  if not the most asked — questions in Wesley Chapel has an answer, and it is yes.

Or more accurately: YES!

The  Crystal Lagoons® amenity by Metro Lagoons at Epperson (off Curley Rd.) is open, and you can use it, too.

At least for now.

The first of its kind in the United States, the first shining jewel of Metro Development Group’s Connected City project, is already drawing huge crowds to its crystal clear water, sandy beach and variety of activities.

For a limited time, the public is welcome to attend for $20 per person, up from $10 in early April. The discounted rate will be in effect through Memorial Day, when it goes up to $25 per person.

The lagoon has been allowing a limited number of non-Epperson residents in each day since April 8, and tickets are available while they last at LagoonInformation.com.

If you don’t pre-order and decide to just show up, you run the risk of being shut out. According to Eric Wahlbeck, the managing director of Metro Lagoons, there have already been sellouts on almost every day with good weather, with more to come as summer rolls in.

“It’s been awesome to watch,” he says.

The lagoon is letting in 200-300 non-residents a day, and drawing nearly 2,000 visitors (including Epperson residents) on busy days, Wahlbeck added.

“It’s limited, so we can control the numbers for our residents,” he said, “but so far, it has been hugely popular. This is only a test market, so we are still trying to see what the facility can handle while affording the residents their space.”

In time, the lagoon will be limited to residents only, who pay a $25 a month fee per household to use the facility. Until Epperson is built out, the admission of non-residents will help supplement the costs of maintaining the lagoon.

Epperson currently has 1,200 residents (in 350 homes), with another 165 homes currently under contract or being built, which will bring the resident count to 1,800 within six months.

So far, those living in Epperson don’t seem to have a problem sharing their most desirable amenity. Wahlbeck says he hasn’t had to sort out any problems involving non-residents so far.

“There was a lot of fear in the beginning,” he says. “But, since we started it, it has gone really well. We have made sure to make sure it’s not a free-for-all. And there will be plenty of resident-only parties.”

Please note that the lagoon doesn’t allow any outside food, drink or coolers inside, nor are guests or residents allowed to bring their own chairs. Wahlbeck says the lagoon has more than 600 lounge chairs, a grab-and-go café for food, as well as a rotating schedule of food trucks, a bar that serves beer and liquor, kayaks and paddleboards for rent and, well, the clearest water around, thanks to a patented water-filtration process that uses up to 100 times less chemicals that a conventional swimming pool and 30 times less water than a golf course.

While not completely ready to open at our press time, Wahlbeck even hinted that the much-anticipated swim-up bar and tiki hut could be ready to go as this issue hits your mailboxes.

“There’s no reason to bring anything, we’ve got you covered,” he says. “Well, you might want to bring a few bucks.”

The lagoon pavilion area also boasts what Wahlbeck says is a “really cool” 18-foot by 12-foot LED screen above its stage, which will be used for viewing sporting events, like the Kentucky Derby, and even television shows like “Jeopardy” — he says some residents are organizing a Tuesday night “Jeopardy” watch party.

There also are activities scheduled every weekend. Last Sunday, the lagoon held a cornhole tournament, there is a Kentucky Derby party planned and there’s always plenty of music. There also are aquatic activities planned, and the lagoon has a giant inflatable water slide like the one at the Tradewinds Resort on St. Pete Beach.

“It’s the same idea as Disney resorts,” he says. “You come for the water, but there are plenty of activities to take part in as well.”

Although it has had a few starts and stops due to permitting and other issues, the lagoon is now pretty much 100-percent functional.

Following a few grand openings, as well as its share of controversy, Wahlbeck says the lagoon has evolved into everything Metro said it would be when it first introduced the concept back in 2014.

If you want to check it out, hurry over to LagoonInformation.com and get your tickets now!

Craft Brewery Sets Sights On Old Sports + Field Location On S.R. 56!

A one-time multi-million dollar sports and fitness facility could be reborn as home to one of the Tampa Bay area’s most popular craft breweries if Anthony Derby has his way. 

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Brew Bus Brewing and Florida Avenue Brewing Co. in Tampa says he is eyeing the former Sports + Field Family Athletic & Fitness Club complex on S.R. 56 to expand his current operations, and hopes to close on the property by the end of June.

“We love the property, we love that area of town, but there are some things we need to work out and plan for,” said Derby, who co-founded his brewing companies with his mother Toni Derby, who serves as the company’s chief financial officer (CFO).

Anthony says he, architect Ken Cowart — who also is the project architect for the St. Petersburg Pier — and land-use attorney Anne Pollack met with Pasco County planning officials on April 17, and Derby says the meeting went well.

Derby says he plans to spend $8-9 million on the initial phase/renovations of the project, if it continues to move forward, developing a full-service restaurant and bar while utilizing what was once an outdoor field for training athletes as a beer garden.

“The property has a great L-shape and that is going to help us create a nice little customer experience,” Derby says. “Right now, this property is a really big deal for us.” 

The outdoor area also will serve as a family-friendly activities area with games and events, and that was one of the things that made the property even more attractive, along with its location on a busy stretch of S.R. 56 and its proximity to AdventHealth Center Ice, one of Wesley Chapel’s busiest spots. 

The “bones” of the building itself remain in great shape, Derby adds, and he expects an extensive but fairly quick indoor renovation that could see the new craft brewery and restaurant open by this time next year.

It’s the next piece of the puzzle out here,” Derby says. 

The tasting room at Florida Avenue Brewing Co.

While Wesley Chapel has its fair share of bars, it is not yet home to a craft brewery and restaurant like Brew Bus Brewing and Florida Avenue Brewing Co., which is located in Seminole Heights, at 4101 N. Florida Ave.

The company produces Florida Avenue and Brew Bus-branded beers at that location, also serving food and offering tours of other local breweries in Tampa. 

The two-story building the Derbys are hoping to renovate as part of their expansion was originally developed by Strong-S Corporation and opened in 2005 as a $10.5-million fitness center that had multiple purposes. It held local basketball leagues on its NBA-sized court, and hosted a number of professional athletes who came there to train, like tennis player Jennifer Capriati and some of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It also offered a number of fitness and massage options for community members.

Sports + Field promoted itself as the only local facility offering elite strength training for professionals and amateurs. 

However, it closed in 2015, and while there was talk of a charter school or car dealership moving into the space, neither of those two plans materialized and the building has remained unused.

Team Gosselin — Local Realtors Who Are Also Community Leaders

After joining Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group a year ago, Karen and Renynold (pictured here with company CEO/Chair Gino Blefari), became members of the Chairman’s Gold Circle, awarded to the top 2% of Berkshire Hathaway’s 50,000 sales executives worldwide.

Proverbially, Realtor Karen Tillman-Gosselin wears a lot of hats, including serving as the current chair of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, the membership director of the Rotary Club of New Tampa, and on the board of several other local organizations.

And, she and her husband and real estate partner Renynold Gosselin also have been sponsors of the Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel since their Rotary Club took over hosting the event in 2017.

But Karen, who joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group in 2018, is still not too busy to help her real estate clients with the tiniest of details, even if it’s picking out paint colors and furniture for their new homes.

“She’s absolutely remarkable,” says Karen’s client Ken Merrill, who says that’s exactly what she helped him do, as the single dad set up his home in Wesley Chapel. “She set a new standard for me.”

Ken says he relocated to the area when he bought a local Allstate insurance agency about a year and a half ago, then says he was referred to Karen and Renynold Gosselin, through their mutual Rotary Club.

He describes Karen and Renynold as “tireless,” as they took him and his kids, ages 16 and 13, out to see houses. Ken changed his mind a few times about exactly what he was looking for, and each time Karen and Renynold would simply find more homes for them to visit.

“Renynold is a virtual encyclopedia of information about the Tampa Bay area,” says Ken. “He knew every corner, every drug store, every market, and knew all the school districts.” 

Ken says it was 55 homes later before he finally found the perfect one.

 “Now, I absolutely love my house,” he says. “When I walk in, a feeling of warmth comes over me because of how much I love it.”

But, he also says visiting those 55 houses was just the tip of the iceberg of what the Gosselins did for him. 

“They negotiated an exceptionally favorable deal for me,” says Ken, who raves about the low price-per-square-foot he paid, and then lists the ways the Gosselins have shown outstanding kindness to his family —from helping him hire a top-notch roofer at a lowest-bid cost, to giving him and his son tickets to a USF football game.

And yes, they also helped him pick paint colors and furniture.

This beautiful 5BR, 4BA home in Saddlebrook in Wesley Chapel is one of many gorgeous luxury listings by Karen Tillman-Gosselin and her husband, Renynold Gosselin. They use the same impactful photography, marketing techniques and attentive customer service for buyers and sellers at any price point, even those who are purchasing or selling their first home.

Karen says she first got into real estate when she was working as an interior designer, often staging homes for sale for real estate agents. She’s happy to help her clients make their homes look their best, whether it’s a home they just purchased, or one they want to stage to sell. 

Award-Winning Service!

As real estate agents, Karen and Renynold represent buyers and sellers who want to purchase or sell a home. While Karen sells many luxury homes all over the Tampa Bay area, the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area is her long-time home, and she works with people whose budgets are at any price point, even first-time home buyers and sellers.

The pair joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in July of 2018, which Otis Bass, who is the president and managing Broker of the Florida Properties Group, says recently became the largest real estate company in the United States.

“Thanks to (chairman and CEO) Warren Buffett, there’s a lot of name recognition with Berkshire Hathaway, and it has prestige,” explains Renynold. 

However, Karen says there’s much more to why they chose to join the agency. 

“Berkshire Hathaway is a great company with a lot of tools for agents, including a network for referrals from agents around the world,” she says.

More referrals to the Gosselins means more buyers looking at the homes they currently have listed for sale, which is helpful to local sellers.

“Berkshire Hathaway has more resources than other brokers,” says Karen, “and they’re always looking out for the best for their agents. They have created a very positive culture here.”

Recently, the Gosselins were awarded membership to the distinguished Chairman’s Gold Circle, representing that they are in the top 2 percent of the nearly 50,000 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices real estate sales executives worldwide.

Prior to joining Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group, Karen worked for many years for local offices of Florida Executive Realty, Keller Williams, Casa Fina Realty and most recently, Smith & Associates.

Karen and Renynold both got their real estate licenses in 2000. Reynold worked “behind the scenes” for many years, until he recently retired from a 30-year career with Verizon and became Karen’s full-time partner in real estate.

During her decades-long career in the business, Karen has sold more than $200 million of real estate.

She says she continues to be successful because she is a trusted advisor to clients who refer their friends and family to her and Renynold.

“Having a real estate agent who will listen to your wants and needs and help you find that one house you will make your home is crucial,” Karen says. “That agent needs to put you first, then properly coordinate all aspects — from negotiations and inspections to ensuring that the transaction becomes a reality.”

Marketing Your Home

Karen and Renynold say that marketing also is a big part of their success, and that having great photographs online is key to marketing a home for sale these days.

“Most buyers start on the internet,” says Renynold, “that’s why photography is so important.”

So, Karen and Renynold provide a 3D tour of each home they list. The tour is so comprehensive, it can even be viewed in virtual reality to feel like you’re actually walking through the home.

The 3D tour often is accompanied by a separate video walk-through of the home, plus drone photography, and photos and video of the community, too.

“We’re selling a lifestyle,” Karen says. “If you live in a community with a pool with slides, we’ll have photos of that or incorporate that into the video, to show people who want to move here the kind of lifestyle they can have.”

Karen says she and Renynold are by their clients’ side throughout the entire process, paying attention to every detail.

“It can be very overwhelming to sell a house,” she says. “We try to take some of the load off, because we know you’re not only selling, you’re also moving.”

Karen and Renynold’s expertise can make the entire process much easier on buyers and sellers.

Ken Merrill seconds that. “I would refer (them) to anybody,” he says. “It goes way beyond the transaction of real estate. It’s been an incredible experience, and they’re now family, as far as I’m concerned.”

To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation in your home, visit FineHomesofTampa.com or call (813) 629-1502.

Philanthropist Dr. Kiran Patel Opens His Charter High School This Fall

Patel High School founder Dr. Kiran Patel (left) and principal Marlee Strawn are among the innovative thinkers who are bringing Patel High — a tuition-free charter school — to life.

When school starts back up again this August for the 2019-20 school year, 300 ninth graders will walk the halls of a brand new charter high school being built just off E. Fowler Ave. near I-75.

The tuition-free charter school is open to any student who is close enough to commute, including those who live in Pasco County.

“The goal is to provide an option to students who may be limited in the curriculum and extracurricular activities in their present environment,” explains Dr. Kiran C. Patel, a local entrepreneur and philanthropist who is the school’s founder.

The school is officially called Dr. Kiran C. Patel High School, but will be called Patel High. “Simply because you belong to a certain neighborhood should not force you to stay in that neighborhood [for school],” he says. “We are providing a choice.”

Dr. Patel — or “Dr. K,” as he is affectionately called — committed $20 million to launch the school. The Tampa resident’s business enterprises include luxury real estate development, medical software, health care solutions and commercial property acquisition and management. The success of these businesses has allowed him to make impactful contributions on a global scale, which he has done through the establishment of schools, colleges and hospitals on three continents. 

“Dr. K is the epitome of compassion, community service and humanitarian efforts,” says Ashok Bagdy, a New Tampa resident and a co-founder of the school, along with Bagdy’s wife, Kavita Jain, and Sonali Judd, who is Dr. Patel’s daughter. “He has made a tremendous impact on the two things that matter most — education and health care. His contributions have been inspirational, transformational and generational.”

Dr. Patel is much more than just a benefactor, as he will be very involved with the institution that bears his name, hoping to impart some of his personal philosophy to the students who will attend.

“Today’s world is focused on human rights,” Dr. Patel explains, “but nobody is focused on human responsibility. It’s that aspect that’s more important than your rights. What is your responsibility to your neighbor? You may have a right to do anything you want, but is that the responsible thing to do?”

This rendering shows what Dr. Kiran C. Patel High School will look like when construction is completed on or around June 30. The school’s first 300 students will be ninth graders who will begin attending the school in August.

Students at Patel High will learn about responsibility through mentorship programs, opportunities for leadership and social projects that allow students, “to be contributing members of society at an early age,” says Dr. Patel.

About The School

Patel High’s inaugural class will consist of 300 freshmen. In future years, new freshman classes will be added, with the planned capacity of the school to be just 600 students total in grades nine through 12.

The school will offer an advanced curriculum and focus on the school’s mission statement, which emphasizes up-to-date knowledge and skills, personalized and innovative instruction, partnerships between the school and the community, social responsibility and leadership.

Mentors from throughout the community will work with students to give them the opportunity to explore potential career interests, community outreach and real-world applications. 

Students will experience project-based learning, a teaching method in which they gain knowledge and skills by investigating and responding to complex questions, problems or challenges. Students learn to take initiative, build confidence, solve problems, work in teams, communicate ideas, and manage time.  

The school’s lunch period will be called “Power Hour,” where students not only eat, but have extended time and opportunities to participate in open labs, clubs, tutoring, intensive intervention, or other academically enriching choices. They will be able to meet with teachers, catch up on assignments, and collaborate on projects with peers.  

Don’t Flip Out!

Patel High School also will use what’s called a “flipped classroom” approach when appropriate, meaning that instructional content is delivered outside of the classroom, often online, while moving other activities into the classroom. 

In a flipped classroom, students may watch online lectures, collaborate in online discussions, or carry out research at home. Then, they interactively engage in concepts in the classroom to clarify and apply that knowledge, giving teachers the opportunity to guide their students to deeper thinking and higher levels of application. 

Not only will Patel High be unique in its curriculum, schedule and students’ engagement with the outside world, it also is unique in its space design and flexible seating for students.

“It’s an opportunity for students to be in a brand new school with the most updated security features,” explains Bagdy, “It’s on a beautiful 32 acres, right off of I-75, and will have 67,000 square feet of building, including an 11,000-square-foot gym, for only 600 students.”

He says the school will have world-class facilities, including a gathering place they refer to as a “wow space,” an amphitheater, and innovative touches such as movable walls so teams of teachers can adjust how they use their classrooms.

The school also includes a music room, soccer field, baseball field and tennis courts. As to exactly what sports and music programs will be offered at Patel High, Bagdy says that will be left up to the students.

“It’s a student-driven school, and it’s a blank slate,” he says. “They’ll decide on the mascot, clubs and sports.”

A national search to hire a principal brought in 250 resumes and ultimately led the school’s board to select a candidate from right here in Tampa. Marlee Strawn was most recently assistant principal of curriculum at Bell Creek Academy 6-12 Charter School in Riverview, where she created and implemented a High School Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) curriculum. The Cambridge curriculum also will be used at Patel High.

Students Chosen By Lottery

Students who will be entering the ninth grade next school year and who are interested in attending Patel High must apply online at PatelHighSchool.org. Students are chosen to attend the school through a random lottery process.

“This is a lottery system; anybody can put their name in the hat,” says Dr. Patel. “We are not selective in identifying a segment of society by color or economic status or anything like that.”

While New Tampa and Wesley Chapel residents are invited to apply to the Patel High lottery, preference will be given to students in Hillsborough County. There are currently seats still available for this fall’s class.

Cypress Creek Town Center Lands Three More Restaurants

Bloomin’ Brands, which is well-known locally for opening the first Outback Steakhouse in Tampa in 1988, is looking to bring three of its other restaurants to the Cypress Creek Town Center on S.R. 56.

The Tampa-based company met on April 23 with Pasco County officials and submitted preliminary plans for building a Bonefish Grill, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and an Aussie Grill by Outback on the northeast corner of the S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd. intersection., west of the Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar that will open in less than two months.

The Bonefish Grill, which has a location on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. just south of S.R. 56, will be 5,585 sq. ft. and will seat 195 customers, while the Carrabba’s Italian Grill is proposed for 6,438 sq. ft. and 229 seats for customers. The two restaurants will be next to each other facing S.R. 56.

The Aussie Grill by Outback, the company’s first fast-casual take on the Outback Steakhouse model, was developed for international growth – it has locations in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. Tampa will see opening of a location at the International Plaza food court this month.

At the Cypress Creek Town Center, the Aussie Grill will have seating for 72 customers in a 2,800-sq.ft. space.